Song of the Nightingale
by Knightwolf
Summary: The wedding is getting closer and the two lovers are making preparations. They make the right decisions with the help from an unexpected guide.
1. Meeting

Here's yet another sequal story in my Motoko / Keitaro Saga. This is a continuation on my stories Compassionate Swordplay, Love's Sharp Blade, Moving Forward and You Have Me. If you haven't read those first, I suggest you do or else you may get lost. That being said, I hope you enjoy the latest installment of the saga.

Love Hina is owned and created by Ken Akamatsu.

Song of the Nightingale

Chapter I:

Meeting

It is early morning. The tiniest amount of light slowly begins to illuminate the room. The calendar hanging on the wall shows a picture of a traditional Japanese bridge running over a flowing creek surrounded by countless trees with leaves of orange, red and yellow. The month read: 'November' with all the days up to the 17th 'X'ed out.

Below that is a basic desk. Polished oak with several drawers lined up on the right and left sides. The desktop is riddled with pens, pencils, notes, notebooks and letters. A few utility bills were stacked in a neat pile with a reminder note on top to have them paid by the 29th.

Atop the dresser against the right wall is a finely crafted wooden display, which held two katanas. The sheath of one was composed of black lacquer. The clear reflection in it denoted that it was polished often. The other was beige. The same color as the wood it was carved from. This one was covered in a glaze finish that was a little worn around the handle, showing that it's had quite a lot of use.

In the middle of the room, you can hear the sounds of quiet breaths, as of a woman sleeping in the large futon spread across the floor, much too large for just her.

Over towards the end of the room, we find Keitaro Urashima standing in front of his window, looking out. His arms were folded for warmth; his eyes fixed on a certain point in the misty darkness outside. The cold rain falls. It's subtle sound barely heard through the pane glass window. Behind the rain is a dark gray sky, slowly getting brighter with the coming morning light.

Keitaro continued to watch the rain in silence. Some rustling was heard in the futon behind him. Not after long, he felt soft warm hands run up the bare skin of his back and over his shoulders. He is not startled by this because he already knows who it is. She lightly rests her chin on his right shoulder and looks out the window with him, pressing her warm body against his.

"What's up?" She whispered, before giving his shoulder a light kiss.

"Nothing. Just watching the rain." He replied.

Then he turned, slowly wrapped his arms around her waist and gave her forehead a kiss.

"What are you doing awake? It's early, even for you." He quietly said.

"I don't know. I guess, somehow I knew you weren't there next to me, so I woke up. How about you?" She said, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I woke up a little while ago, couldn't fall back asleep." He said, resting his head on hers.

"Well, come on. Come back to bed with me." She said.

Then she took his hand, led him back to the futon and underneath the covers. She turned on her side as he moved in behind her, putting his arm around her waist, forming the spoon position. She reached down, took his hand in hers and held it to her chest over her heart. He could feel her heartbeat. It was calm and steady. Smelling the sweet scent of her hair, Keitaro instantly became relaxed.

"Motoko?" Keitaro whispered.

"Yes, Kei?" She replied.

"What if your father doesn't like me?" He said.

With a sigh, Motoko turned over, looked deep into his eyes and gently laid her hand on his cheek.

"Kei, I told you not to worry about it. Everything will be fine. You'll have to meet him sooner or later. I already told him we'd stop by later today."

"I know, but still…"

Motoko moved close and gave him a slow, loving kiss.

"Don't worry about it any more, my love. Now get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us."

At that, Keitaro simply gave nod and a smile of thanks.

In the arms of his love, Keitaro slipped back into the realm of dreams. The world around him dissolved and quickly changed. He found himself on the balcony of a Japanese castle from the days of feudal lords. It was night, with the full moon's bright light filling the sky. Rolling green hills and forestlands spread out as far as he could see in the light of the silver moon. A warm wind lightly caressed his face. The smell of the tall grasses entered his senses as well as the sound of countless crickets chirping all around him.

Then the chirping stopped and from one of the forests, he caught the sound of a bird's song. The song was long and flowing like the stroke of a calligraphy brush, creating poetry upon poetry. The song entranced him until suddenly it disappeared and the forest was silent once more. Keitaro was disappointed at the quiet, but then he heard the song again. Only this time it came from inside the castle. Walking swiftly, going from room to room, he desperately searched for the source of the sweet melody.

He finally came to a room in which he was sure the song was coming from. Stepping inside he saw a woman dressed in traditional snow white marriage robes. Her back was turned to him and he could not see her face. Out of nowhere a bird flew past him and landed on her shoulder. The bird looked at Keitaro with curious eyes, eyes that almost emanated a calm, silent wisdom. Keitaro saw the bird clearly.

"Is that a nightingale?" He said out loud.

"Keitaro?" The woman said in a familiar voice.

She turned around slowly. Then Keitaro saw that it was Motoko, smiling her bright, heavenly smile.

Keitaro's eyes opened. He was awake. His room was bright now. The sound of the rain patting on the windowpane was gone. He reached next to him and realized that Motoko had gotten up already. With his hand, he searched around near the top of his head and found his glasses. He liked these new thin frames that he had switched to. They were lighter and so much more comfortable. He looked over at his clock. 7:30am.

He heard a couple knocks to his door and Motoko entered the room. She was already dressed in her Kendo robe. Looking down at him, she put her hands on her hips, tilted her head to the side and formed a smile.

"Hey there, sleepy-head. You're finally awake I see." She said.

Then she walked over to his dresser and opened a couple drawers.

"Hey there, Miss Sunshine. You're peppier then usual this morning." He said, shaking the sleep from his head.

"Hurry up and get dressed, Shinobu almost has breakfast ready." She said, tossing him a clean shirt and pants.

"Thanks, Motoko. Hey, what's the weather forecast for today? I know it rained earlier." He said, standing up and putting on his clothes.

"Well, the radio said no more rain, but it'll still be cloudy."

"That'll be alright, I guess." He said, tucking in his shirt.

"High of 37 today, so it's gonna be cold." She said, walking up and straightening his shirt collar.

"Well, it is the season for it, I guess."

"Yup, it sure is." She said, before giving him a quick kiss.

"Well, let's go." He said.

Keitaro took her hand and they both walked out of the room.

Downstairs, Shinobu was just setting the food on the table. On the menu was boiled rice, Miso soup with tofu and shiitake mushrooms, omelet roll, pickled vegetables, and small broiled salted fish.

Breakfast went as it usually does: Kaolla enthusiastically consuming her food, Kitsune checking the latest horse race odds in the morning paper, Naru studying her notes, Keitaro and Motoko conversing on trivial things, Kanako reading an occult book causing a sweat drop in everyone else every so often as she would speak certain spells out loud to herself, Shinobu going back and forth from eating her meal to telling Kaolla not to eat so fast, and Sarah getting ready to flick something at Keitaro but being stopped by the ever watchful Haruka. Yup, business as usual.

A half hour after breakfast was finished we see Keitaro and Motoko standing at the front sliding doors, getting ready to leave for their trip.

"If we leave now, we should be in Kyoto by 10am." Keitaro said, putting on his coat.

"That should be perfect. Father is usually done teaching his first training class by then." Motoko said.

Shinobu saw them off as they left.

"Both of you take care and come back safely!" She called as they walked towards the steps going down to Hinata.

"Thanks, Shinobu! We should be back later this evening!" Keitaro called back with a wave as Motoko showed Shinobu her assuring smile.

The train ride to Kyoto was quiet, as there weren't that many other passengers riding in the same car as them. They passed the time by talking about this and that subject.

"How's studying coming along, Motoko?"

"It's tough. Studying for college entrance exams is harder than I thought. I really have to hand to you and Naru for making it into Tokyo U. I'm not sure if I can make the grade with my so-so practice test scores."

"Don't worry, just keep at it and don't give up. I have faith in you. And I'll keep helping you study like I have been."

"Thanks, hon. That means a lot to me." Motoko said, giving his hand a squeeze.

"So anyway, your dad is the head of the Aoyama Family and the School as well as a direct descendent of Shin Aoyama, its founder, right?" Keitaro said.

"That's right. Father has been the head of the family and Master of the Dojo since he was 18 years of age, after his father died of a sudden illness. Leadership is usually passed down from father to son, but since father has had only girls, he's made the decision to pass it on to me, despite my plans for marriage. He was forced to go against his own rule of disqualification due to marriage."

"Oh. So he's approved of our engagement, then?" Keitaro asked eagerly.

"Well, he hasn't disapproved of it. He'd much rather meet you before giving his final approval, of course." She said.

"Of course." Keitaro said, in a worrisome tone.

"Keitaro, I've already made excuses for the last two times you've cancelled the meeting with him. I know its really because you're so nervous. But I am glad you finally got the courage to meet with him." She said, running her hand down the side of his face.

"It's for your happiness, Motoko. And our future. In order to attain both, I must first meet with your father."

"Keitaro, I wish you wouldn't think of it in such a serious context. We're just going to meet my father."

"To you it's just meeting your father but to me it's meeting the man that could make or break our future together." Keitaro said.

"Will you stop worrying about it, Sweetheart? I said everything will be fine."

She then scooted closer to him and rested her hand on his chest and her head on his shoulder.

"Let's not talk about it anymore. Okay? Please, just set your mind at ease, Anata." She said.

"You're right, my love. I'm sorry." He said.

"It's fine." She whispered as she closed her eyes.

At that, Keitaro turned his head and gave her forehead a kiss.

After reaching Kyoto, the two caught a cab that took them directly to the Aoyama grounds. The Aoyama Home is located on the same estate as the Aoyama Dojo. A very large estate, it was built long ago with the blessings of the Emperor at the time and rebuilt after the Great Kyoto Fire with the blessing and support of the Emperor Meiji, showing how appreciative he was of the Aoyama clan and their contributions to Japan.

Entering the grounds, the two were met by the Family servants who were ready to cater to their every need. They were lead into the main house and then to the main conference room or 'meeting room' used for family discussions and business proposals.

A servant opened the sliding door before them and announced their arrival. The voice inside conferred and said to let them enter. Motoko and Keitaro entered the room. Keitaro kept his eyes down, as he was still nervous. They sat down in the traditional Japanese way, facing the front of the room where the Master of the house sat. Keitaro looked up and laid eyes upon the man that is Motoko's father.

The man wore a black kimono. He appeared to be of good build, with long, flowing silver hair. He wore a melancholy expression on his youthful face. A sheathed, long-bladed Katana lay beside him. Keitaro immediately tensed up.

'Holy Sht! It's Sephiroth!' Then Keitaro's logical thought patterns returned to him. 'Well, I know he's not really Sephiroth, but jeez. He could be his twin.'

Motoko initiated the introductions.

"Father, this is my Fiancé, Keitaro Urashima."

Keitaro took a respectful bow and said,

"It is an honor to finally meet you, Sir."

"I am Kenji Aoyama, head of the Aoyama family and master of the Aoyama Dojo that teaches the Shin-Kami style." He stated in a low, almost rough voice, but yet it sounded quiet and reserved. After honing his gaze on Keitaro, he continued.

"Keitaro Urashima. We finally meet. My daughter has told me much about you. I understand you're studying to be an archeologist." He said.

"Y-Yes, Sir. That's correct." Keitaro said.

Kenji's expression then lightened.

"No need to act so nervous, Keitaro. After all, if I hadn't approved of you and your engagement to my daughter, you would be in a much more…unpleasant situation right now."

At those last few words, Keitaro gave a nervous gulp.

"So relax, Keitaro. Enjoy some tea with me and tell me more about yourself."

At that moment, a servant entered and set down a cup of tea in front of each of them. After completing their task, the servant bowed and left the room.

Taking a sip from his tea, Kenji spoke again.

"I ask that you forgive my somber tone. My mother's death still weighs heavily upon my soul."

"About that. I…I'm responsible for-" Keitaro was cut off by Kenji.

"I'm well aware of what occurred that night. I know it wasn't really you who murdered my mother, Keitaro. It was Ichiro Akume using your body. Therefore, I do not hold you responsible in any way."

"Words cannot express how sorry I am for your loss." Keitaro then gave another respectful bow.

Kenji simply gave a slow, thankful nod.

"Let us speak no more of this. Let us move on to a more cheerful subject. Your wedding. Have the two of you decided on a location? You are more than welcome to use the gardens of my estate." Kenji then gestured to the beautiful grounds outside.

Keitaro looked outside and then saw a nightingale perched on a nearby tree branch. It turned its head and looked at him for a moment, then flew away. Having a realization that he could not quite explain, he turned to Motoko and said,

"You know, Motoko? I think we should. These grounds are so beautiful and spacious. It would be perfect."

"I agree. There's plenty of room for all family and friends. Not to mention it would be so much more romantic and memorable." Motoko said.

It being decided, Keitaro turned back to Kenji.

"With your permission, Sir, I would like the wedding to be held here on your estate."

"Done. This makes me very pleased. Now, you planned for a ceremony in May, correct? As for the exact date, what day would you like it to be held on?"

Motoko and Keitaro gave eachother a quick look.

"We would like it to be held on a Saturday if possible. Preferably later in the month." Keitaro said.

Kenji rubbed his chin for a moment.

"How about the 19th?" Kenji suggested. "It's a Saturday and it's later in the month."

"That sounds perfect." Motoko said.

"Yeah." Keitaro agreed. "Thank you so very much, Sir."

"No need for thanks. All I want is to ensure the happiness of my daughter and her husband to be."

Kenji then turned his head to the door and called out, "Hasegawa!"

In less than a moment, the door opened and in walked a fairly young looking woman in professional attire. She had narrow eyes behind circular lens glasses. She had straight black hair that was tied back with a thin white ribbon. The woman knelt and sat down in front of Kenji and silently awaited his request.

"The wedding date for my daughter and Keitaro Urashima will be set for Saturday, May 19th and the ceremony will be held in the gardens of this estate." Kenji stated, to which the woman took down every word in her pocket-sized notebook.

"Will that be all, Sir?" The woman asked.

"That will be all, for now. Thank you, Hasegawa." Kenji said, giving a nod.

The woman gave a bow and then left, closing the door behind her.

Kenji turned his attention back to the couple.

"Miss Hasegawa, my personal assistant, will handle all of the arrangements. She will be keeping in touch with you. She needs your specifics and preferences for the ceremony itself and for anything else you may need."

Kenji stood up and said,

"I'm sorry that Motoko's mother, Himiko Aoyama, could not be here today. She is head of the Divinity School of Swordsmanship that lies on the other end of the estate, opposite of my dojo. I'm sure she would have been pleased to meet you as well, Keitaro. However, she is in Hokkaido on School business.

Now if you'll excuse me. It's almost time to teach my next class."

The two stood up as well. Motoko walked up to her father and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks for everything, Daddy." Motoko said.

"I really appreciate everything, Sir." Keitaro said.

"Please, call me 'Kenji'. You are going to be my son-in-law, after all." Kenji said, placing a hand on Keitaro's shoulder.

"Thank you, Kenji." Keitaro said with a smile.

During the train ride home the clouds rolled by from outside Motoko's square window.

"That wasn't so bad, now was it?" Motoko said.

"No, not at all. I think I like your father a lot. I'm glad I went through with it."

"Me too. So…"

"So?" Keitaro said.

"What kind of flowers do you think we should have for the wedding?" Motoko asked, growing excited.

"Flowers? Well, I'm not really a flower type of person. Whatever you pick should be fine." Keitaro said, passing the decision to her.

"Oooh, that's no good. I want it to be something we both decide on and be happy with, Kei." Motoko whined, showing an adorable pout, which completely caught Keitaro off guard.

"O-Okay, well, how about something white? How's that sound?" Keitaro said, trying to appease his fiancée.

"Hmm. Lilies then?" Motoko suggested.

"Lilies are good. We can go with those." Keitaro said.

"Great. Now what kind of wedding cake should we go with?" Motoko asked, resting her hands lovingly and excitedly on her fiancés arm.

"Well, I'm not that particular." Keitaro said.

"Oooh."

"What? Any wedding cake will do."

"But that's not the point, Keitaro!"

As the train moved on toward Hinata, the clouds above grew thinner and thinner until finally the sun peaked out and shown down on the passenger car that carried the two lovers, hoping to shed some light on Keitaro's indecisiveness.


	2. Obstruction

Here's the next chapter of my continuing saga. I hope you enjoy it.

Love hina is owned and created by Ken Akamatsu.

Song of the Nightingale

Chapter II:

Obstruction

The few clouds scattered across the late morning sky were slowly carried along by the steady wind. That very same wind moved several gray leaves in front of Shinobu as she continued to sweep the area in front of the Hinata apartments. Quietly singing an upbeat song to herself, she moves the broom this way and that, gathering the leaves in a neat pile. Never once changing the cute little smile that graced her features.

Shinobu paused a moment to run her fingers through her silky hair, fixing it from the obnoxious hands of the impetuous wind. As she did that she looked over to notice a person walking towards her from the top of the Hinata steps. It was a woman. She was little tall for a Japanese woman. It was that fact coupled with the fact that she had long raven black hair that this woman reminded Shinobu so much of Tsuruko, Motoko's older sister. In fact, Shinobu probably would have mistaken her for Tsuruko, had she not noticed the difference in the facial expression between the two. Tsuruko always carried a warm, friendly look, whereas this woman had a cold expression with an indifferent glare in her eyes.

As the woman walked up and stopped before her, Shinobu noticed she wore a beautiful silver kimono with a snow-white sash. Her bangs were neatly trimmed to a length just above her thin eyebrows. Two locks of hair came down and touched the tops of her cheekbones, framing her face perfectly. Her skin looked smooth, fair, flawless. On her lips was a shade of red lipstick that was not too showy, but just colorful enough to accent the fairness of her skin.

Shinobu turned to the woman, showing her a bright smile.

"Good morning. Is there anything I can help you with, Miss?" Shinobu asked.

The woman made an effort to show a pleasant smile and said,

"Please excuse my intrusion, but could you tell me if Motoko is here?"

"Why yes, she's out back, practicing with Keitaro." Shinobu said, pointing to the area beyond the apartments.

The very mention of Keitaro's name caused a momentary flinch in the woman's facial expression.

"I can go and get her if you want."

"That would be very nice."

"Please come inside." Shinobu said, motioning the woman to follow her.

"Thank you very much, uh…"

"It's Shinobu, Ma'am."

"Ah, Shinobu. What a beautiful name."

"Oh, thank you." Shinobu said, leading her inside.

"My name is Himiko. It's a pleasure to meet you." The woman said, now walking side by side with Shinobu as they walked through the front door.

Shinobu led her into the main lobby and bade her to sit on one of the comfortable couches.

"I'll go get her. Please wait here." Shinobu said before leaving the room.

In the back property, it was unusually quiet. The wind, growing strong now, caused waves to appear in the tall grasses that lined the grounds. Then the sounds of swift footsteps were heard racing across the short grass. It was a sound matched only by a second sound of swift footsteps, both quickly moving toward one another. These swift feet pounding across the ground suddenly leapt up and away from the grass. We look up to see two figures crossing swords in midair and landing opposite one another.

One raised her head, turned and said,

"Not bad."

The other did the same as he said with a grin,

"Speak for yourself."

Without wasting another second, they both made another dash for eachother with their swords held high. Then, out of nowhere seemingly, Shinobu's voice rang through the air of the back courtyard, causing the two to stop dead in their tracks.

"Motoko! You have a visitor! She's waiting in the front lobby!"

Motoko wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"Thank you, Shinobu! I'll be right there!" She said as she sheathed her sword.

Shinobu went back into the house, closing the door behind her.

"You have a visitor, Motoko? Were you expecting anyone?" Keitaro asked, sheathing his sword as well.

"No, not at all." She said as they started walking towards the house.

Keitaro walked up and opened the door for her, allowing her to walk through.

"I wonder who it could be?" He said, then closing the door behind them.

"I probably should have asked when Shinobu told me, huh?"

"That's alright. We'll find out soon enough." He said.

When Motoko entered the lobby with Keitaro, she saw a woman sitting there on the couch facing away from her.

"Hello, there. I'm Motoko." She said.

The woman stood up and turned around. Motoko's expression turned to bright joy when she saw who it was.

"Mother!" Motoko called out as she ran into her mother's arms.

Motoko and her mother shared a long and loving hug. Keitaro quietly walked up to them and waited for the right chance to introduce himself. Keitaro noticed immediately that both Motoko and her mother were about the same height.

They slowly pulled back and looked at eachother with bright smiles.

"My dearest Motoko. It's been so long. Are you doing well? How are your studies in Tokyo?"

"I'm very well, Mother, and my studies are going great thanks to Keitaro."

Her mother's eyes narrowed at the mention of his name.

"Oh, I see." Himiko said.

Keitaro took this opportunity to jump in.

"I'm Keitaro Urashima, Ma'am. It's an honor to meet you." Keitaro said with a pleasant smile and a short bow.

"Uh, yes. Nice to meet you." Himiko said, showing him no compassion before turning away from him.

'Well, that was a little cold.' He thought.

"Ahem. Now," Himiko started "on to the reason why I am here."

As she sat down, she motioned the two to sit down on the couch opposite her.

"I had just returned from Hokkaido yesterday and learned the news about you two."

Himiko then centered her sights on Keitaro.

"Keitaro, my husband may have approved of you, but to be perfectly honest, I do not. Kenji's word as head of the family may be law, but I will not stand for this. First of all, I'm concerned about how you will support my daughter on the meager earnings of an archaeologist. Second, the stories Motoko has told me of you when she first came to live here have painted you to be an unsavory, perverted klutz of a man. A good for nothing."

"But Mother, it's obvious my views are different now! I've come to see that he has so many redeeming qualities and-"

"Silence!" Himiko yelled before continuing.

"And finally, the fact that the two of you frequently share the same bedroom is unacceptable!"

The two stood shocked as their eyes widened and their complexion became white.

"M-Mother. H-How did you…?" Motoko said.

"Well, there was this energetic blonde haired girl who passed by while I was waiting. She was very informative." Himiko said, crossing her arms.

'Errg! That Su!' The two thought in unison.

Himiko stood up, straightened her kimono, took in a deep breath and said,

"I've had enough! This relationship is over!"

Motoko immediately jumped up and said,

"What?! No! You can't!"

Keitaro stood up as well.

"Please, Mrs. Aoyama. I'm sure we can see eye to eye. Let's just talk about this. Please!"

"This conversation is over!" Himiko said, before reaching over and grabbing Motoko by the arm.

"The fairytale is finished, Motoko. You're coming back with me to Kyoto."

"Mother, no!" Motoko yelled as she struggled in her mother's iron grip.

As Keitaro watched this woman dragging his one and only love towards the door, desperate thoughts quickly swirled in his head.

'No! Not her! I love her so much. Please don't take her away from me. After all that we've been through, after all we've accomplished together. Please God, don't let it end like this!'

Then a vision flashed to Keitaro from his dream when the Nightingale was perched on Motoko's shoulder as she looked to him with loving eyes.

"Stop it!!" Keitaro yelled, placing himself between Motoko and Himiko.

"What?" Himiko said, turning to Keitaro with a look of growing anger.

"I said stop it! I will not let you take her from me." Keitaro said with a stern look and a powerful tone.

"Oh, Keitaro…" Motoko said, as she looked at him in wonder.

Himiko's fury grew as she stared at Keitaro. Her eyes began to glow as a red flaming aura became visible around her.

"You dare…you dare oppose me?" Himiko said, letting go of Motoko's arm.

"Yes, I do." Keitaro said without falter.

Himiko stood back, held out her hand and materialized a long bladed sword out of red flame. She held the blade to his throat. Keitaro still stood tall with strong resolve.

"Then you will die." Himiko said.

She reached the sword back, ready to deliver the death stroke.

"Mother!"

Himiko stayed her hand. She turned around to see who it was. There standing in the front doorway was Tsuruko, her eldest daughter.

"Mother, stop this." Tsuruko said, walking up and standing before Himiko.

Himiko lowered her sword. The glow began to fade from her eyes as they gazed upon Tsuruko.

"Can't you see, Mother?" Tsuruko started. "Keitaro loves her with all his heart and would do anything for her. Isn't that what you've always wished for her? For both of us? To find someone who would make us happy for all time? Mother, I've found my Jin. And now Motoko has found her Keitaro."

The sword disappeared from Himiko's hand. She turned and looked to Motoko.

"Is this true?" She asked her daughter.

"Yes! And I love him with every ounce of my being!" Motoko said.

"As I do her." Keitaro added.

Himiko's expression softened.

"I see. Perhaps in my anger, I failed to notice that which is most important: My daughter's happiness. I also failed to understand you, Keitaro. To see the real you. To look past all that was on the surface and to see the brave, passionate man who stands before me." Himiko then showed a pleasant smile. "Keitaro, I apologize. I've misjudged you. You are a man truly worthy of my daughter's hand."

"Oh, Mother…" Motoko said, as she began to shed tears of joy.

Keitaro showed a smile of gratitude.

"I thank you ma'am, from the bottom of my heart. All I wish is to make her happy." He said, taking Motoko's hand in his.

"I think I'm beginning to see what Kenji sees in you. You are one of courage and conviction, Keitaro Urashima." Himiko said, placing a gentle hand on his arm.

"He reminds me much of myself when I was his age." Kenji said, emerging from behind his daughter Tsuruko, causing them all to turn to him in surprise.

"Well, it seems like we have no shortage of visitors today." Naru said to herself as she looked on from the staircase.

"Yes, I wonder if they will stay for dinner. If so I will bring out more bananas!" Said Su, sitting next to Naru.

They all sat down together and began to talk and laugh. The jagged ice of bitter gall that had filled the room earlier was now warmed to a flowing river of joy and love. Keitaro laid his arm around Motoko's shoulders as she rested her hand on his chest as they talked about their plans for the wedding and the future they look forward to together. A future that is as bright as the sun that shines in the blue, blue sky.


	3. Decisions, Decisions

Here's chapter 3 of my Nightingale storyline. Hope you all enjoy it. 

Disclaimer: Love Hina is owned and created by Ken Akamatsu.

Song of the Nightingale

Chapter III:

Decisions, Decisions

The phone's ringing echoes through the lobby and up the stairs. It eventually reaches Keitaro's ear as he sits at his desk.

"Ah! The phone's ringing."

Keitaro had been going over maintenance documents all morning. So the interruption was welcomed, seeing as he was almost at his wits end. After making it to the first floor in no time at all, he ran to the phone and picked up the receiver.

"Hello. Sorry it took so long. This is Hinata Sou…Oh, hey Mom. Yes…yes, I'm doing fine. Do I have a free day coming up? Well, Sunday I guess. Yes. What's that? You want me to come over Sunday? Bring Motoko too? Sure, that shouldn't be a problem. I'll tell her about it and hopefully we'll see you then. Love you too, Mom. Tell Dad I said hi. Bye."

Keitaro hung up the phone and before he could complete his next thought, he heard a loud 'Woo-Hoo!' and then felt a pair of strong legs wrap themselves around his neck from behind.

"Hello, Su." Keitaro said, trying to keep her legs from cutting off his air supply.

Su stood up on his shoulders, bent down and looked him in the eyes from upside down.

"Who was that you were talking to on the phone, Keitaro?"

"That was my Mom. She wants Motoko and I to come visit on Sunday."

Su rolled forward and landed in Keitaro's arms.

"You and Motoko-yan too? How long will you be gone?"

"Just the day. We'll probably be back by six in the evening."

"Okay! Have fun, Keitaro!"

She then jumped from his arms and hopped into the kitchen area, in search of sweet sustenance in the form of the jelly buns Shinobu had bought earlier that morning. Not two seconds went by when Shinobu's voice rang out from the kitchen.

"Su! You can't have those! They're for after dinner!"

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

Motoko paced around her room in circles, going over her English notes, preparing for her test coming up on Friday, which is the day after tomorrow. She was still wearing her robe, having just gotten out of the bath a short while ago.

"'Za man who is at za banku wiru not make a wi-wi…wizu…duroru…withdrawaru, but he wiru make a deposito…deposit-t-t.' Ergg! I hate English!"

"But you need to understand it to pass the college entrance exams."

Motoko looked over her shoulder and saw Keitaro standing there in her doorway. He walked up behind her and began to gently massage her shoulders.

"I know it's hard, Sweetheart. I had to suffer through it too."

"Mmm, that feels good. How about I call it quits and you can be my personal masseuse for the rest of the day? How does that sound?"

"Hmm, sorry. Can't do that." He said, playfully.

"Oh, well. It was worth a try."

Keitaro then spun her around and gave her a quick kiss.

"Oh, by the way. My mother just called."

"Oh, yeah? How's she doing?"

"She's good. She wanted to know if we could stop by on Sunday."

"Sunday? Sure. That sounds nice. Come to think of it, Keitaro, I haven't met your parents yet, have I? I can't wait to finally meet them."

"Good. I'll call them later and let them know we're coming for sure."

Keitaro glanced down at the notebook in her hand.

"Did you want me to give you some help?"

"Could you? I'm having such a hard time."

They both sat down at the kotatsu.

"I'm having the most trouble with this word here."

"This one? 'Will'. The thing with 'will' is we as Japanese, we instinctively use the syllable 'ru' to make the English 'L' sound. So when you say 'will', you have to hold the 'r' in 'ru' and omit the 'u'."

"Oh, I see." She paused for a moment. "'Wiru…wi…ru…wirrr…'will'."

"You did it!"

She let out a quick sigh.

"Thanks, Keitaro. That helped a lot."

"Sure. Was there anything else you needed help on?"

"Um, how about this one."

"'The'? With 'the', we would typically use the syllable 'za'. Instead, you have to bring your tongue up further until it touches your teeth so you can make a 'tha' sound. Try it."

"Zz…za…zzz…tha…the. Hey! It worked!"

"I knew you could do it."

Motoko formed a slight blush as she smiled a suspicious smile.

"Speaking of tongues…" She said before playfully pushing him down to the ground and positioning herself over him.

Keitaro matched her smile and said,

"Would this count as extra credit? Because I'm sure there's a lot of other words we could come up with together."

"Oh, you are naughty today, Mr. Urashima."

Then Keitaro swiftly rolled her over onto her back and playfully pinned her down.

"Though I can hardly hold a candle to you, Mrs. Urashima."

A bright smile came over her.

"Heh heh. 'Mrs. Urashima'. I like the sound of that."

Keitaro started to slowly plant soft kisses down her neck and over the top of her chest. He knew what it would do to her. She closed her eyes. Her breaths became long and heavy. She slowly ran her fingers up the back of his neck and through his hair, moving it around in broad strokes. He loosened her robe and ran his hand over the naked skin of her exposed hip. She moved her hands under his shirt and over the skin of his back, feeling the muscles as they flexed and relaxed. As his soft kisses moved down the center of her chest, her legs wrapped around the back of his legs, gently caressing them as if to say, 'more, more'.

"AHEM!"

The impatient sound made Keitaro and Motoko jump up and stand almost as if standing at attention in the military. In the open doorway stood Naru, with her arms folded and a not-very-amused look on her face.

"You know, in case you forgot, you do live in a building with other people. Could you at least go at it when it's not the middle of the daytime? Plus you left the door wide open. What if Shinobu walked in while you two were in the middle of something I should not mention?"

"You're right, Naru. We're really sorry." They said, now extremely embarrassed.

Naru simply shook her head and let out a sigh. "I swear…"

Then Naru refreshed her composure.

"Anyway, on to the reason I came up here. Miss Hasegawa is here. She would like to discuss the dinner arrangements for the wedding reception."

"Oh, okay. Could you tell her we'll be right down." Motoko said.

Naru gave a nod and turned to leave, but then she paused and turned back to them.

"You might want to straighten your hair, Keitaro. And…please fix your robe, Motoko."

The two scrambled as they realized their appearance. Naru just shook her head as she left the room and closed the door behind her. Keitaro had straightened his cloths and hair as Motoko dropped her robe and threw on a pair of blue jeans and a red shirt.

After making themselves presentable, they met Hasegawa downstairs in the lobby. Upon their entering the room, Hasegawa stood up, gave a short bow and said,

"Konnichiwa. Ojou-Sama, Urashima-San."

"Hello, Miss Hasegawa. It's good to see you again." Motoko said as they all sat down around the coffee table.

Hasegawa placed several sample menus, resumes of chefs from France to Italy to America to Japan itself, and a few brochures of highly acclaimed Kyoto catering services on the table before them.

Hasegawa began,

"What we're discussing today is the type of food we will be serving for the wedding reception dinner. Given the Aoyama family's wealth and influence, it should not be difficult to obtain the exact services you desire. So, that being said, have the both of you decided on foreign or domestic food?"

Motoko and Keitaro gave eachother a nod.

"We've decided on traditional Japanese food. We would like to stay with a traditional theme." Motoko said.

"Excellent, then that leaves 56 possible chefs in the Kansai area alone. Now keep in mind, each chef would have about 15 to 30 people working under them, cooking for all the guests. So timing and quality is assured. Or if you would like to go with a simple catering service, there are several exquisite companies in the Kyoto area."

Keitaro rubbed his chin as he looked down at all the brochures. Then something caught his attention on one of the chefs resumes. From under the pile of papers, in the upper left corner of the page was a professional print of a nightingale on one of the resumes. He then looked over at Motoko.

"I think we should go with a professional chef, Motoko. If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. Don't you agree?"

"Absolutely." Motoko then turned back to Hasegawa. "We would like a professional chef. Now, out of the all the possible chefs, which are the best ones for what we're looking for, Miss Hasegawa?"

Hasegawa glanced down at the listing she had before her.

"Well, Chef Toshio Yamada accommodated the Tanaka family's New Year Banquet this past January. He is said to be an expert in traditional cuisine. Chef Shinji Ishikawa prepares dinners regularly for the Sakamoto and Asakawa families. He is also an expert in such cuisine."

Hasegawa reached down and picked up the resume that Keitaro had glanced at earlier.

"Then there is Chef Mafune Katsura, who has been in charge of several dinner parties held at the Imperial Palace, not to mention numerous places around the world. Katsura is a master in the art of traditional cuisine, and as such he is in high demand. However, his services should not be hard to obtain."

Keitaro reached out his hand.

"Could I take a look?"

Hasegawa handed him the resume and he began to read through it.

"Wow, Motoko. This guy looks really good. Not only has he graduated from the top culinary school in Japan, but he's also received 26 awards for his cooking in Japan, France, America and Italy. And he owns Nightingale Restaurant in Tokyo. I think we should go with this chef, Motoko. What do you think?"

"Are you sure, Keitaro? After looking at just one resume?"

"Positive. I have a really good feeling about this one, Motoko."

Motoko looked at him, puzzled for a second, then formed a smile and gave him a nod. Motoko turned to Miss Hasegawa, who was waiting patiently for their decision.

"Miss Hasegawa, we will choose Mafune Katsura to be the chef for our wedding reception."

Hasegawa gave a pleasant smile as she straightened her glasses.

"Excellent. Then I'll begin making preparations right away."

After Hasegawa gathered all of her papers, they walked her to the door where she started to put on her shoes.

"All we have left to discuss are your final decisions regarding the floral arrangements, the guest seating arrangements, as well as arrangements for a Shinto priest to set up a temporary sanctuary on the family estate for the wedding to take place. I will see both of you next week. Until then, take care."

The two gave a bow and said,

"Thank you very much for your hard work."

Hasegawa matched the bow and said,

"Thank you very much for having me."

Hasegawa had left and the two made their way back to their room.

"I never thought setting up a wedding would be so complicated." Keitaro said, as he opened his door for Motoko.

"Yeah, the Cake alone took two visits from Miss Hasegawa, just so we could reach a final decision. Of course that's mostly your fault." Motoko said, walking in first.

"What? All the cakes she showed me all looked alike."

"Keitaro, there is a difference between a triple stacked vanilla and a quintuple stacked lemon liquor."

Motoko walked over and sat down at her Vanity table. She looked in the mirror, picked up her brush and began to brush her hair. Keitaro walked over to his desk and sifted through several documents. Keitaro then looked at Motoko. He took a moment as he stared at her reflection in the mirror with an appreciative sigh. Motoko saw this in the mirror and smiled at him.

"What is it, Anata?"

Keitaro just leaned back against his desk, formed a pleasant smile and said,

"You know, all this wedding stuff has been nothing short of hectic and chaotic, but when I look at you, it all seems worth it."

Motoko turned around to look at him. She saw the look of gratefulness in his eyes. She put down the brush, walked over to him and gave him a loving kiss.

"No, you are the one that's worth it. I'm glad I met you, Keitaro Urashima."

Keitaro gave her another kiss back and said,

"When I first met you, I never would have thought that you'd turn out to be the love of my life."

"I never thought I'd find love at all. I thought I wasn't meant for it. But you changed all that, Kei. You opened my heart. I want to thank you for that."

With his fingers, he moved a lock of hair behind her ear.

"I should be thanking you."

"For what?"

"For giving a guy like me a chance."

"I'm glad I did, Keitaro. You've made me very happy. Given, it hasn't been easy, and after all that we've been through, I'm still glad I took the chance."

She then leaned into him and put her arms around him as he did the same. After a long moment, Keitaro said, "I also never would have thought you were a part of such a wealthy and powerful family. I thought you were just 'Kendo girl'."

Motoko cracked a smile.

"Well, it's not something I chose to talk about very much."

Then her expression became more serious.

"There was a while I just wanted to get away from that family. There was so much pressure to be the best. To be the successor and take over the Divinity School. I guess my time here was sort of my escape from all that."

"I can't even begin to imaging the type of stress you must have been under."

"I made it through alright. I'm no longer afraid. I'm ready to accept my role as successor. I'm going to take up the special offer that stands, despite my getting married. I think it's all because of you, Keitaro."

"Me? Why me? You're a strong woman, Motoko. I think you can achieve anything."

"No, I think it was always you. You've always been able to give me the courage I needed to go forward. Only through your encouragement, can I climb one more mountain, cross one more sea. That's one of the reasons why I love you so much. It was always you, over the years, giving me strength."

Keitaro moved in close and laid his hand on her cheek.

"All I did was bring out the person you really are."

In the back room of the Hinata Teahouse, we see Haruka sitting silently at the table alone. The evening sun shines through the windows and onto her face. On the table before her was an envelope addressed to her. She just sits there and stares at the envelope with eyes of uncertainty. The handwriting is all too familiar to her, even on the return address written in the upper left corner. It's his handwriting. Her eyes slowly traced the kanji of the name. 'Noriyasu Seta'. She's eager, and at the same time, afraid to open it. Afraid her fortress of a heart will give in to the feelings boiling up inside it.

Again, Keitaro found himself standing at his window, looking out into the cloudy night. He watched as the gray tones swirled in the dark abyss, almost slower than the eye can see. The clock on his desk ticks just past 1am. He heard rustling in the futon on the floor behind and a moment later, soft warm hands gently moving up his back and over his shoulders. Caressing them, massaging them.

After kissing his right shoulder, she said quietly, "Wedding preparations still have you stressed?"

"Yeah, a little bit. It's just…the wedding's getting closer and closer and there's still so much we need to plan."

Motoko reached her arms around his chest and rested her chin on his shoulder.

"Everything will be decided in time. So don't worry, okay? Miss Hasegawa is doing a phenomenal job."

"Okay."

Motoko paused as she looked out the window with him. Then she raised her lips to Keitaro's ear and whispered,

"I have an idea. How about we pick up where we left off earlier today? I promise, after I'm done taking care of you, you won't wake until at least 11."

Keitaro turned and looked lovingly into her eyes.

"Oh, really?" He said with a smile.

With a smirk and a raised eyebrow, she said,

"Oh, yeah."

With a devilish smile, she took his hand and slowly led him down into the futon. As they disappeared under the covers, you could almost hear the whispers of sweet little nothings being spoken into each other's ears.

We move up and away from the apartments, down the long stretching steps and over grassy grounds to the Hinata Teahouse. Inside the back room, in the dim light that is only on after hours, we see that the envelope on the table has been opened and its contents…missing.


	4. Put on your Sunday best

Hey everyone, here's chapter 4 of my Nightingale story arc. It took a little while to get this one out. Look forward to some slice of life and maybe a little fan service. I hope you enjoy it!

Love Hina is owned and created by Ken Akamatsu.

Song of the Nightingale

Chapter IV:

Put On Your Sunday Best

Early on Sunday morning we find Motoko sitting down at the dining room table. The time on her silver watch hit 7:20. A steaming hot cup of tea in her hand, she took her time studying the English notes laid out in front of her. She slowly blew over the top of the cup and took a sip of the bitter but slightly sweetened green tea.

"'The train at the station will arrive at za…the appointed taimu…time…'erg, why do they have to give us another test this Friday too. We just had one!" She let out a frustrated sigh.

Her attention is then drawn to the sound of a coffee cup being set down beside her. She looked over to see Naru smiling back at her.

"Morning, Motoko. English today?" Naru said, sitting down next to her.

"Good morning, Naru. Yeah, we've got another test on Friday. How about you? How are studies at Tokyo University?" Motoko replied.

"Oh, it's sooo hectic. Finals are only a couple weeks away. I just hope I can get through all the material in time. By the way, you and Keitaro are going to see his parents today, right?"

"Yeah, it'll be the first time I get to meet them." Motoko said, before taking another sip.

"You know, I keep forgetting that Keitaro actually has parents. Anyway, do you feel nervous going to see them for the first time?"

"Not really. Keitaro was a wreck going to see my father. He was so tense. We had to cancel twice before I finally got him to go. Me, I'm actually excited. I can't wait to meet his parents."

The two continued their conversation until Shinobu showed up at the table with a tray of sweet bean cakes.

"Good morning." Shinobu said, setting the tray on the table.

"Good morning, Shinobu." The two said, warmly.

Shinobu gave her usual cute smile and said,

"I figured you might want something sweet to go with your tea and coffee. Breakfast won't be for a while yet, so I think these should hold you over until then."

"Thank you so much, Shinobu. Oh, have you seen Haruka yet? I need to ask her something." Naru said, taking a cake from the tray.

"Hmm, I saw her by the telephone a couple minutes ago. I think she might still be there." Shinobu replied.

"I see. Well, it being a Sunday, the teahouse doesn't open until noon. So I think I've got plenty of time to catch her." Naru said.

Meanwhile, in the lobby, Haruka is still talking on the phone. Her voice is quiet to keep stray ears from listening in. She carries a look of uncertainty, nervousness, and a hint of sadness. She continues to speak in a low voice to the person on the other end.

"Yeah…listen, just…just meet me at the tea house at 11:30…okay? We'll talk more then…bye."

After hanging up the phone, Haruka let out a nervous sigh as she ran her fingers back through her short silky brown hair. She then walked outside, closing the door behind her. She pulled out a pack of cigarettes from her back pocket, grabbed one out with her lips and put the pack back in her pocket. She lit it and took a slow drag. Then she casually blew the smoke up into the air, watching it as it gradually dissipated.

"What am I doing?" She said to herself out loud.

The clock on the desk ticked just past 9am. On the floor lay Keitaro, still asleep. The door slid open and in walked Motoko, closing the door behind her. She glanced at Keitaro's sleeping form with a tiny smile as she walked over to her dresser. There she opened a few drawers, reached over and turned on the stereo.

She shed the parts of her Kendo robe, dropping the articles of clothing at her feet until she stood wearing nothing but a black silk bra and panties. On the stereo played the sounds of Kotoko's "Save your Heart". Her hips began to move from side to side as she started to nod her head to the beat. Soon she was dancing as she searched through the drawers for a nice shirt and pair of jeans to wear to today's special occasion.

Keitaro stirred as the up-beat melody filled the room. He opened his eyes, tilted his head up and rubbed the sleep from his face. As he saw the activity going on before him, he could say nothing else but,

"My God, I don't think I've ever woken up to a more beautiful sight."

Motoko let out a cute giggle at those words. She looked back at him and said,

"Thanks, sweetheart. If you play your cards right, I'll let you see more later on."

"Oh, is that so?" Keitaro said playfully as he sat up with a smile.

He threw back the covers and began to roll up the futon.

"Oh, no." Motoko said, looking in the mirror.

"What? What is it?" He said.

"Oooh, I think they've gotten bigger again." She said, holding up her breasts with her forearms in the mirror.

Keitaro walked up behind and looked with her into the mirror.

He showed a smirk.

"And that's a bad thing?" He asked.

"It could be. If this keeps up, they'll start to get in the way of my training." She said with a frown while moving them up and down.

"Well, I for one, am not complaining, my well-endowed love." He said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

He then turned around and put the futon away on the closet shelf.

"By the way, Motoko. Have you seen my good belt?"

"It should be in your dresser, third drawer down."

"Ah, thanks." He said, going to the drawer.

As they started to get dressed, the music on the stereo turned to Kotoko's "Song for Eternity". The intro began with the sound of a sweet voice riding upon a flowing piano melody. Then started the drumbeats and baseline following along with energizing synth notes. Motoko let out a smile as she tapped her foot and moved her hips to the beat once more.

Later on, the clock in the lobby struck 11:15am. Keitaro and Motoko were just getting ready to leave. Outside, the weather was cold and breezy, a typical late November day. They buttoned their coats and put on their scarves. Shinobu quickly walked up and handed them a box containing a cake to bring to Keitaro's parents.

"Here, Keitaro. I hope your parents like chocolate cake." She said, with a bright smile.

"I'm sure they'll love it, Shinobu. Thank you very much." Keitaro replied.

"Have a safe trip, you two. Itte Irashai." Shinobu waved as they moved to the door.

"Itte Kimasu." They said, before closing the door behind them.

The walk to the train station was a cold one, but since the two stayed so close together, it didn't seem to bother them so much. Their shared warmth was enough to keep them comfortable.

"That was nice of Shinobu to make a cake to take with us." Motoko said, her arm wrapped around his and her hand resting on his shoulder.

"Yeah, it was. We'll have to thank her properly when we get back. My mother really loves chocolate cake." Keitaro said, giving her hand a rub, keeping the cold away.

"How about your dad?" She said.

"Dad? I don't think he's that particular. If you put something in front of him, ninety-nine times out of a hundred he'll eat it." He said.

Motoko let out a laugh.

"What?" Keitaro asked, confused.

"Now I see where you get it from." She said.

"Wha? Hey, I'm not like that, am I?" Keitaro said.

"Heh heh, I'm just teasing you, you're not that bad." She said, sticking her tongue out in a playful way.

"Careful with that tongue." He said, showing a smirk.

"Oh, yeah? What are ya gonna do?" She said, showing a smile back.

"I might just do something with it." He said.

"Really? I wish you would." She said, playfully sticking her tongue out again.

"Oh, that does it." He said, before stopping her and giving her a passionate kiss.

Moving her fingers up his neck and through his hair, she thought,

'Hm hm, mission accomplished.'

Keitaro, sliding his hands over her hips and holding her closer, thought,

'Wow, Motoko's really frisky today. I like it.'

After a long moment, they slowly broke the kiss and, hand in hand, continued on towards the train station. Destination: The suburbs of Tokyo.

Meanwhile, we find Naru walking down the Hinata steps. She was on her way into town to see a friend about a paper she was working on. It was on the subject of applying Child Psychology to the classroom. Her friend is a teacher at Hinata Middle School, so it's a good opportunity to get some insight. She figured she would stop at the Tea House on the way to see Haruka.

She then stopped when she caught sight of Haruka and Seta standing together in front of the Tea House. It appeared as if they were arguing about something. Seta was waving his hands as if pleading. Haruka then folded her arms and turned away from him. Seta put his hand on her shoulder and pled even more, to which Haruka shook her shoulder from his hand.

Naru suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, causing her to let out a squeak to which she quickly covered her mouth to keep quiet. She turned to see none other than Mutsumi looking on towards the two standing in front of the Tea House.

"Oooooh, what do we have here? A lover's quarrel?" Mutsumi said with an expression of excited curiosity.

"Mutsumi, Shhhhhh! Get down and keep quiet." Naru loudly whispered.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Mutsumi said, kneeling down.

Naru and Mutsumi got a little closer so they could hear better.

"…But Haruka, you just don't understand." Seta said.

Haruka then turned around and got right in his face.

"How could you do that to me?! I thought we had a good thing, but then you had to get together with that other woman!" She said.

"Please just listen to me!" He said.

"I don't have to listen to a damn word you say. Sara is proof of your infidelity." She said, turning her head.

Seta let out a sigh as he hung his head, then he looked back up at her.

"…she's not mine…"

Haruka's eyes widened. She looked back at him with an expression of surprise.

"Wha…What did you say?" Haruka asked.

"Sara…She's not my real daughter."

"What do you mean?"

"Sara's mother went on many digs with me. When she suddenly became deathly ill, she asked me to promise her I would take care of Sara. I made that promise, honoring her last wishes."

"Seta, I…I never knew. I don't know what to say."

"I've taken Sara on as my daughter. Haruka, please. There's no reason why you, Sara and I can't be together as a family."

"Seta, I-I don't know. I need some time to think this through."

Seta paused, then he gave a tiny smile.

"Alright then, Haruka. I'll give you all the time you need." Seta said, giving her an understanding nod.

The two parted ways in an uneasy, but not unpleasant silence. Seta calmly walked on towards the town while Haruka retreated to the Tea House. She stopped in the entrance and as she leaned there against the doorframe, she laid her hand on her forehead and let out a shaky sigh.

Mutsumi and Naru looked at eachother.

"What do you think that was all about?" Naru said.

"I'm not sure, but it seems like those two have more history together than we thought, huh?"

"Yeah. Well, I'm sure if Haruka wants to talk about it, she will. If not, we shouldn't pry." Naru said, as the two girls stood back up.

"I agree. Some things should be left alone." Mutsumi conferred.

"Say, Mutsumi. Since you're here, do you want to join me? I'm going into town to meet a teacher friend. I'm supposed to meet her soon."

"Sure, that sounds nice. I have to go into town to get some supplies anyway."

"Alright. Let's go, then."

The two then made their way down the tall steps.

High noon struck as a train pulled into a small station in South-West Tokyo. In the distance, the sparkle of the sun could be seen reflecting off the ocean. Out of the train walked Keitaro and Motoko, arm in arm. As they got out to the street, Keitaro pointed to his left.

"My parent's house is in this direction. It's a short walk from the station."

"Ah, I see. I hope we're not running late. We missed the first train."

"No I think we're on time. Besides, I don' think they would hold it against us if we were a little late." Keitaro smiled.

The two went up a narrow street and turned the corner. Keitaro stopped in front of a two story gray house. The nameplate read: Urashima, Rintaro and Hikari.

"This is it. You ready?" Keitaro said, holding out his arm, motioning her to go first.

"You bet." She smiled as she went forward.

Keitaro unlocked the front door with his key and they both walked into the front hall.

"Mom? Dad? We're here!" Keitaro called out as he and Motoko took off their coats.

A woman peaked out from the kitchen.

"Keitaro, you're here!" She said.

"Hey, Mom." Keitaro said as she hurried up to the two of them.

Keitaro's mom then called out to the living room.

"Rintaro! They're here!"

Some rustling could be heard from inside and then,

"Oh, they're here already?"

She looked back at them.

"Don't just stand there, come in, come in." She said, receiving them warmly.

"Oh, by the way, Mom. Shinobu made this chocolate cake for you and Dad." Keitaro said, handing her the box.

"Oh, that was so sweet of her. Tell her I said thank you." she said, taking the box.

They all walked into the living room. Keitaro's dad, who was sitting in his recliner, stood up as he saw them enter. Keitaro's mother, Hikari Urashima, was about Naru's height with long brown hair, which was tied back in a scrungie, and wearing a pair of thin framed glasses. Keitaro's father, Rintaro Urashima, was an inch or so taller than Keitaro, of stocky build and with black hair. Hikari walked over next to Rintaro as Motoko and Keitaro stopped in front of them.

Keitaro started the introductions.

"Mom, Dad. I would like to introduce my Fiance, Motoko Aoyama. My better half." He turned for a moment to Motoko and said, "Motoko, this is my mom and dad, Hikari and Rintaro."

Motoko turned to the parents and gave a deep bow,

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you." She said.

"Oh, the pleasure is all ours. We've waited so long for the chance to finally meet you, Motoko." Hikari said. "Why don't you all sit down. I'll go get us some tea."

Hikari then ducked into the kitchen as they sat down and became comfortable.

"So Motoko, Keitaro tells us you're quite the kendo expert." Rintaro said.

"Yes. My family has two dojos on our estate in Kyoto. Shin-Mei Ryu is taught by my mother, while Shin-Kami Ryu is taught by my father. I've been teaching Keitaro a lot of both. We train together every day."

"Wow, Keitaro never mentioned that. I had no idea. Hey, wait a minute. Aoyama? As in THE Aoyama family in Kyoto?" Rintaro said, developing a sweat drop.

Motoko gave a smile and said,

"Yup, that's us."

"K-Keitaro, how did you end up meeting the youngest daughter of the Aoyama family?" Rintaro said.

"I told you, Dad. She's been staying at Grandma's Dorm."

Hikari then walked in with the tea and four slices of the cake they brought.

"What is everyone talking about?" she said, setting down the tea and cake for everyone.

"Honey, Motoko is from the Aoyama family in Kyoto." Rintaro said.

"Oh, my. How nice." She said.

Motoko then waved her hand in a dismissive gesture and said,

"It's okay, my family's reputation is kind of hard to avoid, seeing as we're known from one end of Japan to the other."

Hikari then sat down next to Rintaro and said,

"So Motoko, I understand you're trying to get into Tokyo U. What major are you going for?"

"Well, I'm hoping to go for Business Management since I'll be taking over my family's schools someday."

"Wow, that's amazing. It's good that you'll be going to school with Keitaro soon."

"Well, I have to pass the entrance exams first." Motoko said.

"I'm sure you will, Motoko. After all, if Keitaro could get in, anyone can." Hikari said, with a tiny laugh.

"Mooooom!" Keitaro whined.

"Well you did have us wondering for a while, Keitaro." Rintaro added.

"Dad! You too?"

Motoko just let out a giggle. Keitaro just leaned back and let out a sigh of surrender.

Motoko then noticed the conversation had gotten quiet. Not wanting the awkward silence to continue, she looked around the room for something to talk about. She then noticed a painting hanging on the wall, depicting a nightingale perched on a tree branch.

"Oh, do you like classic art, Mrs. Urashima?" Motoko asked, pointing to the painting.

Hikari brightened right up.

"Oh, yes! Do you like it?"

"Yes, it's very beautiful." Motoko said.

"Collecting these art pieces is my passion. This one was painted in 1868. I have many more throughout the house. I can show them to you later."

"That would be nice." Motoko said. "Where did you find this one?"

"This one I found at an art dealer in Ginza. I doubt he knew what he had. The price was so cheap for an authentic piece."

"You know, I'm thinking about studying art as a minor in college." Motoko said.

"Art is such a wonderful way of broadening your horizons." Hikari said.

Motoko then looked over at Rintaro and decided to move the conversation to include him.

"So, Mr. & Mrs. Urashima, what is it that you do for a living?" she said.

Rintaro leaned forward with a smile and said,

"Well, I'm an auto-mechanic at Hideki's Garage up the road."

"Yup, Dad's been working there since before I was born. Those skills sure come in handy, given how many times the sedan has broken down, huh Dad?" Keitaro added.

"Yeah, ain't that the truth." Rintaro smiled.

Motoko nodded with a smile and then looked to Hikari.

"Oh, I'm a manager at Toyama Bank. I'm in charge of the collections department. It's a good job, gets kind of busy though." Hikari said.

"I see, that sounds very nice." Motoko said.

Then Rintaro turned to his son and said,

"By the way, Keitaro. How is Kanako doing? She doesn't talk to us very much."

"Well, she's decided to stay with us at the Hinata apartments. When she's not doing her own thing, she's usually in town picking up supplies for her hobbies. Sometimes she catches us off guard when she starts reciting spells to herself at the dinner table."

"Oh, boy. Yeah, she's been into that stuff since she was little." Rintaro said, shaking his head a giving a shrug.

Hikari then turned to Motoko.

"Motoko, have you decided on a wedding dress yet?"

"Oh, there are just so many designs. I haven't chosen yet. My father sent his assistant, Miss Hasegawa to arrange the wedding preparations with us. She and I went looking for wedding dresses a few times, but I can't seem to narrow it down to what I want."

"Well what do you want?"

"I've never been very feminine. All the dresses I saw, well, they just don't seem to be me. I'm not even sure I would look good in a dress."

"Motoko, you're so pretty. I'm sure you would look wonderful in any style of wedding dress. Besides, I'm certain you'll find the dress that you will look absolutely beautiful in walking down that aisle." Hikari said, resting her hands on Motoko's.

"Thank you, Mrs. Urashima." Motoko said, giving a sweet smile.

"Call me Hikari. We're soon to be family after all."

"Okay, Hikari." Motoko said, her smile growing brighter.

The four continued to talk, becoming comfortable and relaxed as they were able speak more freely with eachother. Not after long, it was as if Motoko was already a part of the family.

The time came to leave and we find the group saying their good-byes at the front door.

"Well, come and visit us again soon. You're always welcome." Rintaro said.

"Thank you so much for having me. It was great meeting you both. See you again soon." Motoko said.

"Talk to you later, Mom and Dad."

Rintaro and Hikari waved as the two made their way to the sidewalk.

"Take care now." They said.

On their way back to the train station, as he and Motoko were talking, Keitaro suddenly noticed a dark figure, peeking out of an alley across the street. He got a clear look at him. The person was watching him. Motoko as well. He was dressed all in black. He had spiky black hair, wore a ninja head guard and had metal guards over his fists, forearms and leg shins.

"Hey, Motoko. Look over there. Do you see that guy in the alley? The one looking at us." Keitaro said, pointing him out as they stopped.

Motoko turned and saw him. Her easy going smile quickly faded as her look became grim and serious. She met eyes with the mysterious person. They stared silently for a moment. Keitaro had no idea what was going on. A truck quickly passed between Motoko and the person, momentarily blocking him from her view. When the truck cleared, the person was gone.

After Keitaro quickly looked around trying to see where the person went to, he said,

"Was that someone you know, Motoko?"

Motoko took his hand and led him forward.

"D-Don't worry about it, Keitaro. Let's just get home, okay?"

"Oh…alright." He said, a little worried about the sudden change in her.

'Maybe it's something she doesn't want to talk about. But if it's something that's a problem, I don't want her to hold it inside. Maybe she'll open up about it later.'

Keitaro then spoke up as they got within view of the station.

"Hey, Motoko. How about we stop at a crepe stand when we get back to Hinata?" He said, in hopes of brightening her mood.

She turned to him and saw his handsome smile, a smile that brought out a pleasant one on her.

"Sure…I'd love that, Keitaro."

She then gave his hand a loving squeeze.

Motoko turned her head away for a moment.

'I can see he's a little worried about me. I'll tell him about it later. Right now, it's not safe for me to be in Tokyo with them around.'

Out-takes:

#1

"Mom, Dad. I would like to introduce my Fiance, Motoko Aoyama. My better half."

Motoko then turned to him with a smile and said,

"Oh, really? What half is that?"

"What do you mean?" Keitaro asked.

"I mean, is it the front half you like better or is it the back half?" She said, sticking out her chest to him, then turning around and showing him her shapely behind.

She continued to do this as she said,

"The front or the back, front or back, front or back, your gonna have to pick one…"

Keitaro looked at her as if inspecting her, saying,

"Show me that front, show me that back, give me that front, give me that back…"

Then Keitaro lost control, grabbed her close and said,

"I want it all!!"

"Oooh, baby!"

Mutsumi then popped up behind them and said,

"Well, it looks like the deer aren't the only ones that are horny in this town."

#2

Then Rintaro turned to his son and said,

"By the way, Keitaro. How is Kanako doing? She doesn't talk to us very much."

"Well, she's decided to stay with us at the Hinata apartments. When she's not doing her own thing, she's usually in town picking up supplies for her hobbies. Sometimes she catches us off guard when she starts reciting spells to herself at the dinner table."

"Oh, boy. Yeah, she's been into that stuff since she was little. Makes me wonder if what they told us at the adoption agency was true."

"Honey, I thought we agreed to never talk about that." Hikari said.

"Huh?! What are you talking about, Dad?!" Keitaro said.

"Well, they said she was dropped off at the agency by a man and a woman in black robes claiming they were a witch and warlock from England. After the head nurse took the baby, the man waved his staff in the air and then they both disappeared in a puff of smoke."

Motoko and Keitaro formed many sweat drops as they said,

"That…explains…a lot."


	5. Finishing Touches

Hey everyone. Here it is, the final chapter of my Nightingale story. I hope you enjoy it :)

Disclaimers:

Love Hina is owned and created by Ken Akamatsu.

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class and brand name is owned by Daimler AG, Germany.

Song of the Nightingale

Chapter V:

Finishing Touches

It is late Monday afternoon. The cold breeze that had been blowing all day long, is now brining dark clouds in from the North. It would snow soon. The dry brown-gray leaves moved along the ground in large groups with the strong wind, swirling and twisting in tiny pillars then falling back to the ground again.

Looking over, we see Keitaro climbing the steps to Hinata Sou. The long day at Tokyo U had left him a little tired and in need of some relaxation. He was hoping to spend some of that relaxation with his love. However, after entering the apartments, Shinobu's words pretty much made those plans disappear.

"Motoko? She and Miss Hasegawa went out shopping for the wedding."

Keitaro let out a sigh.

'I was really hoping to spend some TLC time with her. I haven't seen her all day. I can't believe I miss her so much already.'

Keitaro then turned back to Shinobu.

"I see. Thanks Shinobu. By the way, what are we having for dinner tonight?"

"For tonight's dinner, we'll be having strips of marinated beef with fried green peppers and onions, potato stew, white rice and salad made with fresh greens."

"That sounds great, Shinobu. I can't wait." He said, showing her an excited smile.

"Hm hm. Now don't be late." She said cheerfully, before heading into the kitchen.

Keitaro suddenly heard a trampling noise behind him and then, BAM! Two strong legs wrapped around his neck.

"Hey, Su."

"Hello, Keitaro! How was your day at Tokio Ewe?"

After gaining a couple gasps for air, he replied.

"It was fine. Learned a lot. Could you loosen up your legs? Getting hard to breathe."

Su then jumped off, leaving Keitaro wobbling from side to side.

"Okay, then, Keitaro. I will see you later. I have to fix my Mecha Tama 10.1 right now."

She then disappeared into the next room.

"Well, you gotta hand it to Kaolla Su. She helps better than any tall cup of coffee." He said, rubbing his neck.

"Big brother." He heard from behind him.

He turned around to see Kanako rushing up to him.

"Hey, Kanako." He said.

She reached up and put her hands on his face, moving it from side to side, looking at the marks on his neck.

"Oh, I wish that girl wouldn't be so rough with you." She said.

"It's alright, Kanako. At least she never does any permanent damage. So don't worry about it."

She let out a frustrated sigh as she moved her hands from his face.

"As you wish, but I think you should apply those martial arts skills to dodging her antics next time. That girl, she's like a tornado with a cheerful attitude."

"Don't worry about it, Kanako. Su is, well…she's just Su. She means well." He said.

"Again, you always see the positive side of things. And that's what makes you you. And that's what I love about you, big brother." She said, ending with a pleasant smile.

She then looked around and said,

"Oh, where's Motoko? You two are usually attached at the hip."

"She's out shopping with Miss Hasegawa. I hope she's back in time for dinner." He said, looking to the front door.

Meanwhile, in the shopping district in Ginza, we see Motoko walking along side Miss Hasegawa. Almost elbow to elbow with other people, they made their way through the rush hour crowd. Motoko looked down at her booklet showing all the major wedding dressmakers in Tokyo. She then turned to Hasegawa and said,

"Are there any places left that we haven't tried yet, Miss Hasegawa?"

"I think there may be a few places left up ahead, Ojou-sama. Have patience. I'm sure we will find your wedding dress soon."

"I hope so. This is the third time we've been out wedding gown shopping." Motoko said, carrying a disheartened look.

'I want to look absolutely beautiful for Keitaro. I want to make him happy. Those other dresses, they just looked too frilly and puffy and I don't even know what else to call them. They certainly weren't me.'

She looked up and tried to see if there were any places that she hasn't been to yet. Then she caught sight of a bird flying around above the street.

'Is that a bird? But it's the end of November. What's it still doing this far north?'

As she got closer, the bird flew over and perched on one of the shop signs. When she finally got a good look at it,

"A nightingale?"

Then she looked at the sign it was sitting on.

"Shinsei na Yakusoku. 'Divine Promise'."

She looked down and saw wedding gowns displayed in the windows.

Hasegawa walked up next to her.

"These gowns look very nice, Ojou-sama."

"Yes, they do. I don't think I've seen these designs before." Motoko said, getting close to the window and looking over the dresses.

"Would you like to go inside?"

"Yes, let's go inside." Motoko said, as Hasegawa opened the door for her.

Motoko took time to walk through the aisles, taking in every style of dress. Many of the designs appeared very delightful and enchanting to her.

After looking at several dresses closely, she came to a single gown that she found absolutely gorgeous. It was snowy white, with a design that came up to around the chest, leaving the shoulders bare. There was a white satin choker to be worn around the neck, with white flowers printed into the cloth. Elegant floral designs were embroidered into the satin fabric of the top portion. On the arms were long white satin gloves that came up high on the arm. It was sleek around the waist and puffed out into the skirt above the hip area. The full-length skirt extended into a medium-length train in the back. The medium heeled shoes that came with it were white with a deep gloss that gave them an exquisite shine.

Motoko stared at it, speechless as Hasegawa inspected the fine fabric.

Hasegawa then noticed the look on Motoko's face. With a smile, she said,

"What do you think of this one, Ojou-Sama?"

"It's…wow."

"Hm hm. My sentiments exactly. Would you like to look at any more?"

"No…this one. This is the one I want." Motoko said, unable to take her eyes off the gown.

"Are you certain?"

Forming a bright smile and giving a cheerful nod, she said,

"Asolutely."

After Motoko's measurements were taken and the wedding gown was purchased, the two women exited the shop.

Giving a satisfied sigh, happy in the fact she had finally found her wedding gown, Motoko turned to Hasegawa and said,

"You know, if I hadn't seen that nightingale perched on the sign, I wouldn't have noticed this place."

"Nightingale, Ojou-sama?"

"Yeah, it was sitting on the sign up there. You know, it was…"

Hasegawa looked up at the sign and back at Motoko. Giving her a curious look, she said,

"I didn't see a nightingale."

"But, uh…"

Seeing the confused look on Hasegawa's face, Motoko then decided to move things along, seeing as Hasegawa had no idea what she was talking about.

"Um, anyway. Since we found my gown, we should be finished, right? How about we head back to Hinata?" Motoko said as they started walking.

"Right Ojou-sama. Let us go then. Also, if I may say so, I'm sure Urashima-san will be very pleased when he sees you in that dress."

"Thank you, Miss Hasegawa. Did they say when they'll have it ready?"

"It should be tailored and fitted in about two weeks."

"Good." Motoko said.

"I am pleased to say that everything for the wedding ceremony has been officially scheduled and organized."

"Excellent." Motoko said.

As they entered the parking garage where her car was parked, Hasegawa cracked a smile as she looked over at Motoko. Hasegawa moved up close and whispered in Motoko's ear.

"All that is left now is to go shopping for your wedding night."

As soon as Motoko realized what Hasegawa was talking about, the blood rushed to her face, making her beet red.

"W-Wedding N-N-Night?! Y-You mean…?" Motoko stumbled out.

"Uh-huh. You want to look beautiful for him then as well, don't you?"

"O-Of course, but…I feel so embarrassed."

"You shouldn't be. I have no doubt, with your figure, that you would look wonderful in lingerie."

"R-Really? You think so?"

"Absolutely, Ojou-sama. Say, next week? I know a few good places."

"Yes, let's make it next week." Motoko said, with a little bit of excitement surfacing through her embarrassment.

Walking up to a black Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan, Hasegawa pressed a button on her key-chain and the lights on it lit up. Hasegawa opened the door for Motoko and as she stepped inside, she said,

"Rush hour should just be over, so you should be home soon, Ojou-sama."

"Yes, thank you, Miss Hasegawa." Motoko said, before Hasegawa politely shut the door with a smile and a nod.

A little later, we find Keitaro sitting at his desk, finishing a paper for his cultural anthropology class. As he was flipping through one of his reference books, he heard his door slide open. Turning around, he saw…

"Motoko!" He said, standing up and walking over to her as she closed the door behind her.

"Hey, Hon." She said, as they both kissed.

"I missed you, Sweetheart." Keitaro said.

"I missed you too, hon. Sorry it was short notice, but I was dead-set on finding my wedding gown today. So I called Miss Hasegawa. She picked me up right after school and we went directly to Ginza."

"And did you find your wedding gown?"

With a bright smile, she said,

"Yes, I did."

"Good, that's great." He said, matching her smile. "Oh, you made it back just in time. Shinobu should have dinner ready soon."

"Oh, good." She said.

Together they walked down stairs and made their way toward the dining room. Keitaro then stopped when he caught sight of Haruka and Seta standing outside the front sliding glass door. Motoko stopped and noticed it too.

They couldn't hear what they were saying through the glass. Seta seemed to ask her something. Haruka then closed her eyes as a smile came over her features. Then she looked back up at him with loving eyes and nodded 'yes'. A grateful smile came over Seta as well as a look of relief. Haruka gracefully touched her hand to his face and led it down to hers, until they met in a passionate kiss.

Seeing this, Motoko gently took Keitaro's hand and leaned against his chest as Keitaro tenderly nuzzled his head next to hers and wrapped his arm around her waist.

"I guess we'll have to ask them about it later, huh?" Keitaro said.

"If Haruka's not too embarrassed about it, that is." Motoko said with a laugh.

Later on in the evening, after the other residents had turned in for the night, Motoko and Keitaro lay together on their futon. Pure white snowflakes slowly tumbled down outside the window. The lights were dim and soft music was playing at low volume on the stereo. The temperature in the room was a comfortable warmth on their bodies. Keitaro's eyes were closed as he rested his head in Motoko's lap. She looked down at him with a loving smile as she calmly stroked his hair.

"Anata." She said, softly.

"Yes, my love?" He said, quietly.

"Your hair is getting a little long. It might be time for a haircut." She said, holding up a lock of his hair and inspecting the length.

"I was just thinking about that today. I'll get it cut tomorrow."

"Okay." She said, continuing to stroke his soft hair.

"Motoko?" He said.

"Yes?"

"Do you know anything about nightingales?"

"A little, why?"

"I was just thinking. At your family's estate, in my dream, even on the resume Hasegawa gave us. There was a nightingale there. It almost seems as if a nightingale is helping us make the right decisions. It sounds a little crazy, doesn't it?" He said, ending in a short laugh.

"No, not at all. I've been experiencing the same thing. Today, when I was out with Miss Hasegawa, it was a nightingale that led me to the shop where I found the wedding gown of my dreams." She said.

"Is that what happened." He said.

"Yes. Come to think of it, it reminds me of an old Aoyama legend."

"Oh, yeah? How does it go?" He asked.

"Long ago, there was a man who lived with his wife in a small house on a hill near a great forest. One day, his wife had fallen ill with a high fever. He knew of only one herb that could help bring her fever down and it only grew in an area a half days travel to the north, beyond the great forest.

He left in the morning. By mid-day he cleared the great forest and came to an open field where the herb grew in abundance. After collecting as many as he needed for making the medicine, he started his way back through the forest.

Afternoon turned to evening. Realizing this, he hurried his pace, not wanting to get caught in the pitch black of night. Dusk came and the man was still nowhere near home. Distressed, he hurried faster and faster.

The horizon grew darker and darker, until he could not see anything in front of him. He could not even see the correct path that would lead him through the forest.

Convinced he was going in circles, the man sat down at the foot of a tree and began to cry. He was so afraid for his wife. He was afraid that he would not be able to bring her the medicine in time.

As he continued to shed tears of sadness, he heard a bird's song a little ways away. It was a nightingale. He got up and started to follow this bird's song. He made his way through the dark forest, following this song that was so pleasing to his ears.

He then saw a light in the distance. Getting closer and closer to it, he cleared the great forest and saw that it was the light of his own house. The man was so overjoyed. He returned to his wife with the medicine she needed. All thanks to this nightingale that led the way."

Keitaro took a moment to take in the story.

"Wow, so the nightingale led him all the way home, huh? And it's an Aoyama family legend?" He asked.

"Yes, supposedly it's what really happened to a great ancestor of mine. My father told it to me when I was a little girl."

"Maybe the Nightingale is still helping your family to this very day. Maybe the Nightingale is helping us now." Keitaro said, looking lovingly into her eyes.

Her smile widening, she said,

"I think you're right, my love."

She then lowered her lips to his, kissed him deeply and softly said,

"I love you."

He reached up and touched the skin of her cheek with the backs of his fingers.

"I love you too."

End 


End file.
